Dems speak into the night in Vegas

ABC News’ Sunlen Miller, Raelyn Johnson, Eloise Harper report: Out west, Vegas is the city that never sleeps, as the democratic presidential candidates showed up for the Jefferson Jackson Dinner.

Following a two hour debate, the candidates still had much to say, receiving a subtle boot off the stage a la Oscar style, with music being cued as they passed the 7 minute allotted time.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson who may not have gotten as much time as he would have liked at the debate, was happy about the speaking order at the dinner. Celebrating his birthday with cake and all, Richardson joked, “My wish was to go first.” Among the things he wished were discussed in primetime–“I wanted to talk about traffic issues here in Las Vegas, but I’m sorry we didn’t get to them.”

Tonight’s dinner was a nice reprieve from the debate stage and Rep. Dennis Kucinich was less hard hitting and more humorous. “Hillary if you don’t play the gender card I’ won’t play the height card, so she and I are in agreement,” said Kucinich who’s wife Elizabeth graced the stage with him for the duration of his speech.

Former Senator John Edwards continued to hit his message of fighting the entrenched interests in Washington. “Corruption has crept into this government and it did not just begin with George Bush,” said Edwards. “Does anyone really believe that if we trade a crowd of corporate republicans for corporate democrats that there will be big change in Washington? It is a lie, it will never happen.”

As all of the democratic candidates discuss change, Sen. Joe Biden noted, “it’s not about change, what it’s about action,” as he touted himself as the best candidate to put in place a plan to end the war in Iraq. Biden told supporters that he would work across party lines, but had a stern warning for the republicans. “There are things upon which I will not compromise. I am sick and tired of hearing the republicans talk about values. Give me a break,” said Biden adding, “they confuse ideology with morality.”

Senator Obama, following a tough debate performance clearly didn’t fix what was not broken: he stuck to a slightly shorter version of his speech from the Jefferson Jackson dinner that won him accolades last Saturday in Des Moines.

Saying in this election is it “not enough to run the old textbook Washington campaign,” Obama reiterated that democrats should not be “afraid of what Mitt or Rudy might do.”

Obama summoned up, once again, the words of Martin Luther King, with the “fierce urgency of now,” to bring chance to the problems that “festered long before George Bush came into office.”

Clinton, like Obama, recited a similar stump speech from the JJ dinner last week in Iowa. She asked the audience what we are going to do about the republicans. The audience replied enthusiastically "turn up the heat!" Clinton told the crowd "we’re going to turn up the heat on the republicans."

The only candidate not to be drowned out by my music at the end of her speech , Clinton generated huge crowd support at this dinner on the heels of her successful debate performance. She ended her speech and the evening telling supporters, "If you stand with me, we will once again have a democratic white house and a country we’re proud of."

Several of the senators hurried out of Vegas, catching a red eye to cast votes in the senate.